But now, my dear readers, can you call that the best of Fairy gifts, which had so great a tendency to bring the naughty passions of grown-up life into the heart, and therefore on to the face, of a little girl?  Well, but riches have a tendency that way; and though Julia was not a very naughty girl she was being led into very sad feelings by the Fairy gift.  When she went down to the company, her secret anxiety was to examine all the dresses of her Mamma’s friends and resolve some day to surpass them all.  Even as it was she received much pleasure from knowing that her own dress was far beyond the reach of ordinary folk.  She thought too of her necklace with secret satisfaction, when the ladies were talking to her, for she perceived their eyes frequently attracted by its brilliancy and beauty.  Then her mind rambled into futurity, to the day when she would astonish these very ladies far more than now by the richness of her costume.  Ah, dear readers, would our Saviour if present have called this little child to him, and said, “Of such is the kingdom of Heaven?” But all these selfish thoughts made her conversation less pleasant and cheerful than it would otherwise have been; for you may be sure she was not listening with any interest to what was said to her, while she was thus planning silly schemes about herself.

And not having listened with any interest to what was said to her, you may guess that her answers were dull and stupid; for when people are talking of one thing and thinking of another they become very flat companions.  At times when she could forget herself she became natural and then was both pleasant and pleased, and asked some ladies to let their children come and see her next day, to which they consented.  But now came a sad drawback.  One of the ladies told her that her little girl should bring to shew her a most beautiful gold fillagree work-box set with precious stones, which one of the maids of honour about court, who was her godmother, had given her a few days before.  This lady had saved a few of the queen’s hairs very carefully, and had had them placed in a little circle of crystal in the middle of the box, and they were set round with the most beautiful rubies.  It was a present worthy of a Fairy Godmother, and certainly the donor was the daughter of a duchess, which perhaps is the nearest thing to being a fairy.

You will be shocked, my dear readers, to hear that the account of this box was as disagreeable as a dose of physic to poor Julia.  Nay it was worse than physic, for a peppermint-drop can take the taste of that away in a minute.  But not all the peppermint-drops in a chymist’s shop could take away the taste of the fillagree-box from Julia.  She had been thinking before of showing all the treasures of her boudoir to her little friends next day; but this horrid box was like a great cloud closing over her sunshine.  She knew she was naughty, but she was so in the habit of being selfish she could not conquer her peevish vexation.  Annette wondered what could be the matter, and her Governess sighed as she perceived her face clouded, even when she was repeating her evening prayer; but no questioning could extract from her what was amiss.